The cooling off places

 

Sliding rock is very popular near Brevard and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

And many people go to a beach for some summertime leisure.

Dry Falls, North Carolina. Going to the mountains in summertime has always been a nice change of pace for city-folks. This was probably taken before the railing was built (see below).

Walking behind the falls is slippery still, and there's now a rail fence to hopefully keep people safe.

Looking Glass Falls in summertime brings lots of tourists to play in the water around the rocks.

Flash flood at Looking Glass Falls. This photo is from last Mon. July 21 afternoon, when a young wader was stranded on the other side of the torrent and had to be rescued from the rapidly rising water. Rain upstream makes flash floods possible everywhere in the hilly places on this earth. 

Today's quote:

Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate department of life, the penthouse of existence. But rightly understood, it is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our being.

BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST

Today's old photo:

In the Smoky Mountains National Park, young people climb on treacherous rocks above the Little River. My son is sitting in the middle of the photo with his friend Anna about to try to go lower, where I think her brother Tony is already at waterside. The current is swift, and they never went swimming there (that I remember.) I was obviously on the other side of the river with camera. No idea who the adult at the top might be. Tai was probably about 12, in 1991 or 2.

Sharing with My Corner of the World

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Addendums from yesterday:

Joanna Macy being remembered by Emergence Magazine

Edward Hopper's birth anniversary

Considering Mary Magdalen

Staying at the beach

 

Our apartment was in the leftmost building, the downstairs 2 BR unit at 10 Beach St., Saint Augustine Beach, FL. The big yellow house was next door, and at the end of the street was the Atlantic Ocean. About 5 houses or a half a block down. At that time (1996-2001) there was a huge rock retaining wall above the ocean level, which meant going down some stairs to get to the ocean itself. I dare say that is still the case.

The Hampton Inn was built right across the street from us, facing Highway A1A. Across from that was the Sunset Grill. Both of these are still in business!

As a matter of fact, the apartment is now next to a huge parking lot for just the Sunset Grill.

Bet that means all kinds of whooping it up in the wee hours, especially in bike week. (That means motorcycles.) Yes, the downstairs bedroom windows on that side are right next to the parking lot, maybe 5 feet away!

Further down A1A going south, there are many places you can drive onto the beach, if it's firm enough.

That day I visited they were only letting 4 wheel drive vehicles go on the beach, but I did find parking and walked onto the snowy sand.

Of course St. Augustine is known for many wonderful sites in the oldest European city in America. It is part of St. Johns County, and that has been cited as having the best schools in Florida this year. My son graduated from high school there. (And being a best school in Florida these days isn't really saying a lot!)

Sharing with Sepia Saturday this week...they are in a beach cottage or some such. And I'm a day late because, just because.

Today's quote: 

The flower is always the bud’s undoing. Let go then.

PAVITHRA K. MEHTA From Christmas past...1912 AND HAPPY HANUKKAH to all my jewish friends, as the fourth CANDLE IS LIT THIS EVENING.

Who likes a beach?

OK, I did dig back a bit, and here are photos from a visit to Galveston Beach with my family. Top photos show Uncle Chauncey on left, me and sis on inner tube, and my dad, George Rogers making sure nobody tumps over into the water. The next pair of pics show Grandmother on log with myself and little sis (looks like I was around 6 thus 1948.) Love my Gummy's hat and dress! And gloves?

I'm sharing my beach photos with Sepia Saturday, as one of the keepers of the family mementos,  I thought it would be a nice collection.  Swim on over to see the rest of the Sepians' selections related to beaches HERE.

OK, having a granddaughter who's a gymnast kind of takes my own love of beaches in spirit and blows it - right out of the water!

Now this sheet of scanned photos says it is from 1954, but I'm pretty sure my little sister doesn't look 8, much closer to 4, in which I would have been around 8, thus placing it around 1950. Since we moved from Texas to Missouri that year, it's pretty likely we had one last visit to the beach.  I like that my grandmother and mother allowed their photos to be taken along with us.  This is by a pier which no longer exists in Galveston, TX.

Fast forward a few years, and here's the Atlantic rolling onto the shores of Florida...and what are those big blocky shadows?  Well, try 14-story condos.  That's where I was standing several years ago as a guest.  I sure enjoyed the visit.

My oldest son and 5 of my grandchildren (2 of whom are his)  OK, I admit it's not the beach.

There are frequent thunderstorms in beach areas.

But once the storm is past, the sun returns and it heats back up again

This is one of my favorite beaches, even in February, Myrtle Beach, SC

Another favorite beach is St. Augustine, FL

Don't miss the hardy surfer, this was taken in November, 2011

St. Augustine Beach attracts tourists, a few blocks from where I lived for 4 years, (many moons ago.)

Here is my gymnast granddaughter, all cool and cleaned up for dinner-out with the family, and sharing a lovely sunset over the inland waterway...(in 2012)

Beaches

Whether with friends or family, I've always been drawn to beaches (or water that's available to play in of any kind).

Winter beach with good friend at sunset, Meher Baba Center, Myrtle Beach, SC 2011

The minute my car drives over an inland waterway, the windows are rolled down to smell the sea air, which often is tidal flats with salt and fishy smell.  I love it. (Note: All along the Atlantic coast in the US, there's an Inland Waterway, with many many draw bridges for sail boats to pass under.)

Another sunset, my granddaughters wade in the inland waterway

A couple of years ago, all three of my sons, and 5 out of 6 of my grandchildren, met with one daughter-in-law and one daughter-partner in Florida.  The Atlantic was in one of her kind and smooth moods.  All the better for the littlest children.

Kate and Michelle in background while Russ and Marty pose for a "selfie."

Florida beaches are inundated with condos

And fortunately Michelle's mom loaned hers to her family for the center of our festivities.

Somebody got the guys matching shirts...Russ, Will, Tai and Marty at the pool

Come over to see other posts referring to older photos of beaches at Sepia Saturday this week HERE!  I was lazy and didn't look deep into my archives this time.  I'm sure my childhood photos of beaches will come out some other time.